Mail-catcher.



PATENTBD M/AR., 28, 41905.

E. A. BUELL.

MAIL GATGHER.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 11,1904.

A flare o 7.'

Sand di. "Bue L l 3f. LHT/Lo rlcey l Ed El. Y

No. l785.795.

UNITED STATES Patented March 28, 1905.

PATENT OEEICE.

EDWARD A. BIIELL, OF DEKALB, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO TIMOTHY F. MCDERMOTT, OF DEKALB, ILLINOIS.

MAIL-CATCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,795, dated March 28, 1905.

Application iiled Tune 11,19011. Serial No. 212,126.

To (1J/Z when@ it inf/ty concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. BUELL, a citizen of Canada, residing at Dekalb, in the county of Dekalb and State of Illinois, have 5 invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Mail-Catchers, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

Myinvention relates to railway mail-service,

and has for its object the provision of improved mechanism for seizing mail-sacks placed at inail-stations along the line of travel in position to be'caught by catching mechanism located upon the mail-cars, and it is to this catching mechanism that my invention particularly relates.

In accordance with the preferred form of my invention some of the operations are automatically performed, as I desirably so construct the catching' device that after it has engaged the mail-sack it will be automatically operated to bring the mail-sack into the car without the aid of an attendant. Thile a very important feature of my invention resides in this automatic operation, there are features thereof that are decided improvements over the devices of the prior art irrespective of such automatic operation, and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited in all embodiments of the invention to such operation.

There is provided in the preferred embodiment of the invention a mounting for the catcher within the car, which permits the catcher to be swung in a substantially horizontal plane.

In all embodiments of the invention I preferably employ two relatively movable and desirably pivotally connected jaws in combination with an instrumentality (preferably a link connected between the jaws) operated upon by the mail-sack to effect the closure or partial closure of the jaws, and thereby a gripping action by the said jaws upon the sack.

There is preferably provided a locking device acting temporarily and with sufcient force to maintain the jaws in engagement withthe sack.

I will explain the preferred embodiment of my invention by reference to the accompany- 5o ing drawings and will point out the invention in its various aspects in the claims.

Invthe drawings, Figure 1 is plan view of the preferred form of my improved mechanism in place upon a wall of the mail-car, a portion of 5 5 the wall forward of the door-opening being shown in horizontal section. Fig. 2 is a view of the device shown in Fig. l in the direction of arrow a. Fig. 3 is a view of a portion of the device in the direction of arrow b. Fig. 6o 4: is a sectional view on line c c of Fig. l.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the different figures.

The wall or side portion 1 of the car is that portion in front of the door-opening` 2, the car being supposed to travel in the direction indicated by the arrow 3. As one form of mounting there may be disposed upon the inner side of the wall l near the door-opening a jaw construction 4, embraced by the jaw-like 7o construction 5, provided upon thejaw 7, whereby the latter may be removably secured in place. The jaw 7 is rearwardly extended and .preferably has a pivotal connection with the ear 4 through the agency of a pintle 8, where- 7 5 by the catching mechanism is permitted to rotate in a substantially horizontal plane. The jaw 7 is preferably curved throughout, the rear portion being a continuous extension of the curvature of the front portion. As the 8O jaw 7 is the only jaw that preferably has direct pivotal engagement upon the mounting 6, there is provided thereupon a formation that affords pivotal union with the companion jaw 9. This formation preferably resides in two ears lO, desirably integrally formed in one piece with the jaw 7, through which ears a pintle l1 may pass, this pintle also passing through a knuckle uponv the rear end of the jaw 9, whereby thc pivotal union of the jaws 7 and 9 is effected. The forward ends of the jaws7 and 9 are free, except for the link connection l2, that is desirably located near the tips of the jaws, but sufliciently to the rear of these tips to enable the sack to enter between the jaws before 'the said sack engages the said link Connection. This link connection is desirably a chain and is preferably anchored to the bottom of the jaws, so that when thc said chain bends it will not be interposed between the jaws, by which arrangement the said chain does not prevent the approach of the jaws.

The position which the mechanism occupies for the purpose of catching the sack is indicated in full lines. rl`he position which said device occupies when the sack is brought within the car is indicated by dotted linesin Fig. 1.

In order to prevent the device from being prematurely or accidentally removed from the position shown in full lines, some such device as a stiff leaf-spring 13 may be employed, which possesses suflicient tension for the purpose stated, but which will readily be thrown out of engagement when the said device is subject to the violent impact of a mail-sack. The spring 13 is desirably mounted at 14; upon the mounting' 6, readily to permit its disengagement and readily to permit its adjustment to the position indicated when the catcher is to be set outside of the car.

In order that the jaw 9 may not prematurely approach the jaw 7, some such formation as a ratchet 15 and an engaging dog 16 may be employed, the ratchet being desirably integrally formed upon the knuckle of the jaw 9 and being preferably concentric with the axis of the pintle 11. This dog and ratchet prevent the jaws from being separated after they have been relatively approached b v the sack, so that the said jaws grip the sack, it being necessary to release the dog before the jaws may be restored to their normal position. The leaf-spring 17 is desirably provided upon the rear extension of the jaw 7 to engage the arm 18, upon which the dog 16 is provided, the construction, as illustrated, serving to hold the jaws 7 and 9 in their widest separated relation until the mail-sack is received thereby, the teeth of the ratchet sloping' in a manner to permit the d og 16 to ride over the same when the said jaws are approached through the agency of the sack and the link 12. When the mail-sack is caught, it is brought within the car, whereafter the catcher may again be brought into the position indicated in full lines to receive another sack or whereafter the catcher may be bodily removed, if desired. It'may be preferred, however, to have a permanent mounting for the catcher, in which case the said catcher may normally be upon the exterior of the car or upon the interior of the car, as preferred.

It will be seen that the mail-sack comes into contact with a yielding catcher, whereby scvere strain upon the sack is greatly reduced and whereby the force or momentum of the sack is decreased by the time it reaches the interior of the car, so as to prevent harmful results In the device of my invention the catcher is preferably mounted to swing in a substantially horizontal position.

It is obvious that changes may readily be made in the precise embodiment of my invention illustrated herein without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to the precise construction shown nor to all embodiments of various features of my invention that may be devised; but,

Having thus described my invention, l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, the following:

1. A mail-sack-catchingmechanism carried upon a mail-car having a mounting permitting it to swing' or rotate when engaged by a mail-sack, said catching' mechanism including relatively movable jaws between which the mail sack is received, substantially as described.

, 2. A mail-sack-catching mechanism carried upon a mail-car having' a mounting that permits it to rotate or swing in a substantially horizontal plane when engaged by a mail-sack, said catching mechanism including' relatively movable jaws between which the mail-sack is received, substantially as described.

3. A mail-sack-catching mechanism carried upon a mail-car having a `mounting permitting it to swing' or rotate when engaged by a Inail-sack, said mounting being located adjacent to the forward vertical margin or meeting edge of the doorway of the car, said catching mechanism including relatively movable jaws between which the Inail-sack is received, substantially as described.

4. A mail-sack-catching mechanism carried upon a mail-car having a mounting that permits it to rotate or swing' in a substantially horizontal plane when engaged by amail-sack, said mounting being located adjacent to the forward vertical margin or meeting edge of the doorway of the car, said catching mechanism including relatively movable jaws between which the mail-sack is received, substantially as described.

5. A mail-sack-catching mechanism carried upon a mail-car having a mounting permitting' it to swing or rotate when engaged by a mailsack, said catching mechanism including a pair of relatively movable jaws, and alink uniting the said jaws adapted to be engaged by the TOO IlO

mail-sack to effect the relative approach of the jaws, substantially as described.

6. A mail-sack-catching mechanism carried upon a mail-car having a mounting' that permits it to rotate or swing in a substantially horizontal plane when engaged by a mail-sack, said catching mechanism including a pair of relatively movable jaws, and a link uniting the said jaws adapted to be engaged by the Inailsack to effect the relative approach of the jaws, substantially as described.

7. A mail-sack-catching mechanism carried upon a mail-car having' a mounting permitting it to swing or rotate when eng'aged by a mailsack, said mounting being located adjacent to the forward vertical margin or meeting edge of the doorway oi' the car, said catching mechanism including a pair of relatively movable jaws, and a link uniting the said jaws adapted to be engaged bythe mail-sack to eect the relative approach of the jaws, substantially as described.

8. A mail-sack-catching mechanism carried upon a mail-car having a mounting that permits it to rotate or swing in a substantially horizontal plane when engaged by a mail-sack, said mounting being located adjacent to the forward vertical margin or meeting edge ofthe doorway of the car, said catching mechanism including' a pair of relatively movable jaws, and a link uniting' the said jaws adapted to be engaged by the mail-sack to effect the relative approach of the jaws, substantially as described.

9. A mail-sack-catching mechanism carried upon a mail-car having' a mounting permitting it to swing or rotate when engaged by a mailsack, said catching mechanism including relatively movable jaws between which the mailsack is received, and a link uniting tle said jaws adapted to be engaged by the mail-sack to effect the relative approach of the jaws, substantially as described.

10. A mail-sack-catching' mechanism carried upon a mail-car having a mounting that permits it to rotate or swing in a substantially horizontal plane when engaged by a mail-sack, said catching mechanism including relatively movable jaws between which the mail-sack is received, and a link uniting the said jaws adapted to be engaged by the mail-sack to effeet the relative approach of the jaws, substantially as described.

11. A mail-sack-catching mechanism carried upon a mail-car having a mounting' permitting' it to swing or rotate when engaged by a mailsack, said mounting being located adjacent to the forward vertical margin or meeting edge of the doorway of the car, said catching mechanism including relatively movable jaws between which the mail-sack is received, and a link uniting the said jaws adapted to be engaged by the mail-sack to eiect the relative approach ot' the jaws, substantially as described.

12. Amail-sack-catching mechanism carried upon a mail-car having a mounting that permits it to rotate or swing in a substantially horizontal plane when engaged by a mail-sack, said mounting' being located adjacent to the forward vertical margin or meeting edge of the doorway of the car, said catching mechanism including' relatively movable jaws between which the mail-car is received, and a link uniting the said jaws adapted to be engaged by the mail-sack to effect the relative approach ot the jaws, substantially as described.

13. Amail-sack-catching mechanism carried upon a mail-car and including two pivotallyunited jaws, and also a link connection between the jaws to be engaged by the mail-sack, substantially as described.

14. A mail-sack-catching mechanism carried upon a mail-car and including two relatively movable jaws, a link connection between the jaws to be engaged by the mail-sack, and a locking' device to hold the jaws in engagement with the sack, substantially as described.

15. A mail-sack-catching mechanism carried upon a mail-car and including' two relatively movable jaws, a link connection between the jaws to be engaged by the mail-sack, a locking device to hold the jaws in engagement with the sack, and a mounting' for the catching mechanism permitting' its bodily movement within the car when engag'ed by a mailsack, substantially as described.

16. A mail-sack-catching mechanism carried upon a mail-car and including two pivotallyunited jaws, a vlocking device for holding the said jaws in engagement with the sack, and a mounting for the catching mechanism permitting its bodily movement within the car when engaged by a mail-sack, substantially as described. l

17. Amail-sack-catchingmechanism carried upon a mail-car and including two pivotallyunited jaws, a link connection between the jaws to be engaged by the mail-sack, a locking device to hold the jaws in engagement with the sack, and a mounting for the catching mechanism permitting its bodily movement within the car when engaged by a mailsack, substantially as described.

18. A mail-sack-catching mechanism carried upon a mail-car and including two pivotallyunited jaws, a locking device Yfor holding the jaws in engagement with the sack, and a mounting for the catching mechanism permitting' its bodily movement within the car when engaged by a mailsack, substantially as described.

IOO

IIO

19. Amail-sack-catching mechanism carried G. L. CRAGG, C. H. CRAWFORD. 

